Compounds found in coffee can bind to and alter the activity of NR4A1, a nuclear receptor involved in cellular responses to stress and tissue damage, according to a study published in Nutrients by researchers at Texas A&M University. In laboratory models, the team found that these compounds were associated with less cellular damage and slower cancer-cell growth.
The effects disappeared after researchers removed NR4A1 from the cells, a result the team said supports the receptor's role in mediating at least some of the observed effects. NR4A1 has been linked in previous research to inflammation, metabolism and tissue repair, processes relevant to age-related conditions.
The study identified polyhydroxy and polyphenolic compounds, including caffeic acid, as more active on NR4A1 in the researchers' models than caffeine. Stephen Safe, a Texas A&M veterinary toxicology professor involved in the work, said the finding suggests coffee's biological activity may extend beyond its caffeine content. Such compounds also occur in many fruits and vegetables.
The research offers a possible biological pathway rather than proof that drinking coffee prevents illness or slows aging in humans. Coffee is chemically complex and may act through multiple mechanisms, Safe said. Separate population research has associated both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee with lower rates of several liver conditions, but those observational findings cannot by themselves establish cause and effect.
